Liverpool stats guru Andrew Beasley ( @BassTunedToRed ) takes a look Reds’ hard work off the ball was a key element in the win over Crystal Palace - and how Jurgen Klopp understated his side’s attacking efforts.

Make no mistake, that was a huge win for Liverpool . We all know each team plays every other side home and away, but if you were picking a time to visit Selhurst Park it almost certainly wouldn’t be for Palace ’s first home game or for an evening kick off.

After the game, Jurgen Klopp said: “Defensively we were okay. But I wasn’t happy with our offensive play.” On a broad level, I don’t disagree. While watching the match, it felt like the stronger end of the pitch for Liverpool was the back. They didn’t make the most of several excellent attacking opportunities either. However, I also think the boss has undersold just how good his team were too.

As anyone knows, you can prove anything with statistics. But if you put them in context, they can paint a very interesting and instructive picture report the Liverpool Echo .

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Take clear-cut chances. Opta define them as “a situation where a player should reasonably be expected to score usually in a one-on-one scenario or from very close range.” A penalty, such as James Milner ’s opener on Monday night is an obvious example. Sadio Mané’s goal, as he was clean through with only the goalkeeper to beat, is another.

In total, Liverpool had four clear-cut chances at Selhurst Park. Is that a lot or not though?

The Eagles last allowed a visiting side four clear-cut chances in a Premier League game in October 2015. Over the last three years, an away side has had at least four golden opportunities in just 8.5 percent of all top flight games. Without being at their best, Liverpool actually put in a very good attacking performance by this measure.

At the back, it’s a similar story. For starters, Palace didn’t have any clear-cut chances of their own. In the context of Liverpool’s recent history on the road, this is a relatively rare occurrence.

Jurgen Klopp gestures at the end of the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park on August 20, 2018. (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Since the summer of 2015, Liverpool have played 58 league games away from Anfield. Monday’s win at Palace was only the 14th of those matches where they’ve kept a clear-cut chance clean sheet.

They didn’t allow the home team to have many shots full stop. Palace had just eight attempts at Alisson’s goal, and it was only the eighth time in the last three years they’ve had fewer than nine in a home league match.

From that group of low-shot games, only four saw the Eagles have just four shots in the box, as they did on Monday. None of the other games which meet that criteria saw Palace allow their opponents 16 shots, which was Liverpool’s tally in their 2-0 win. The numbers clearly suggest that in the context of travelling to Selhurst Park, it was a quietly impressive performance from the Reds.

So how did they prevent Palace from causing more havoc? The match stats show how switched on Liverpool were and how hard they worked.

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As a general rule, the team with less possession makes more defensive actions. You can only win the ball back when you haven’t got it, after all.

However, at Palace Liverpool had 63 percent of the possession, but made seven more tackles, 13 more ball recoveries and only one fewer interception than their hosts. While Virgil van Dijk is rightly earning plaudits for his performance, a quick word for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The young right-back made 13 ball recoveries when no other player on the pitch made more than nine, made the joint-most interceptions for the visitors, and was the only Liverpool player to block a Palace shot. His efforts may have gone under the radar a little, but there’s no doubt the manager will have appreciated them.

In the context of the Reds’ most dazzling attacking performances, or sternest defensive efforts, the win at Palace may not linger long in the memory. But scratch the surface of the stats, and Klopp and his team should be very proud of their efforts indeed.